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Preschool and Daycare Discussion
PSA - Sex abuse at Washington Hebrew
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Anonymous
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The following just went out to all the parents. The director has a "what happens at school stays at school" policy (does not believe in informing parents of what happens during the day) . . . I would anticipate this (and other problems) becoming a much bigger deal because of that:
On August 15, we became aware of allegations that an employee at the Macomb Street Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center may have engaged in inappropriate conduct involving one or more children. We immediately placed the employee on administrative leave and contacted child protective services and law enforcement. We are cooperating fully with their efforts, which include not releasing the suspect’s name at this time, and have launched our own independent investigation. We are deeply troubled by the allegations and are addressing them utilizing internal and external resources. Likewise, we are working closely with the affected families to provide information, counseling, and support. We are also committed to ensuring that students returning to the ECC in the fall and their families know they will be in a safe and secure environment. We want to respect the privacy of all involved and treat this matter with discretion. Please know that the information we can share at this time is limited, and we appreciate that can be challenging. However, it is important to remember that any rumors or speculation could diminish the ability to investigate this matter and protect our community. These allegations and the necessary investigations are painful for everyone, but as a sacred community and congregation we seek to provide support to all as we face these challenges. We seek both justice and compassion as our tradition demands. We know you may have questions about how to speak with your own children and family about this issue. We will contact you shortly with more information about programs and specialists beyond our own professional staff who can provide counseling and other advice to our families. We will continue to update you and the rest of the community as appropriate, but undoubtedly, you have immediate questions and concerns. If you feel that you have information that should be known by law enforcement, please contact Sarah Buc, the detective leading the investigation into this matter at sarah.buc@dc.gov. You may also contact the Temple’s General Counsel, Lewis Wiener, at 202-299-7992 or lewiswiener@eversheds-sutherland.com. Thank you for your support as we work together as a community through this difficult situation. |
Anonymous
| My thoughts and prayers are with these families. CSA really is everywhere. No community should feel safe or smug. |
Anonymous
| This is so worrisome. Everyone should talk to their kids. |
Anonymous
| That’s pretty distressing given my child just finished camp there a week ago! |
Anonymous
| For whatever reason, there are a lot of male teachers. My understanding is that it was a male teacher. |
Anonymous
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Some tips on how to talk to your kids about what is an appropriate touch:
https://b-inspiredmama.com/10-tips-for-teaching-kids-about-good/ |
Anonymous
I didn’t think so. Thought there was just one. |
Anonymous
Nope. There are several. I can think of three off the top of my head. |
Anonymous
| Does anyone have any real information outside of the email above?? |
Anonymous
Not really - questions are not being answered by the director, and the school’s lawyer is being very vague. |
Anonymous
I wonder if they will retain one of those law firms in the NYT article that specialize in limiting school liability. |
Anonymous
They should. I doubt the rabbi/board have a good sense of how the school is run. There are some very odd informal policies that could absolutely lead to litigation. |
Anonymous
That would seem a prudent thing to do for the school. No reason not to hire someone expert in the field. |
Anonymous
So what? Male doctors, coaches, choir director, bus drivers abuse children. Men can be fine teachers, doctors, coaches, choir directors, and bus drivers. Keeping men out of classrooms won’t solve anything. |
Anonymous
| Just one thing to clarify — this isn’t necessarily sexual abuse. It could be garden variety (horrible, illegal, unfathomable) physical abuse (hitting, etc). Nothing in the email indicates sexual abuse. That’s not to undermine the gravity of this, just a clarification. For the families involved, we shouldn’t speculate or add to the already awful nightmare they’re living. We can just help come forward with any other supportive voices and hope the law enforcement does the job of catching this criminal that the school couldn’t do. Also, from recent experience, there are few male teachers at the school. One of them left the school in the late winter or spring, so that knocks one of them out of the running (he’s not a current employer so can’t currently be on administrative leave, assuming the email is truthful about the current status of things). |